Week 14 - 2016
Cecil Beaton, Child bomb victim, London 1940. Property of Preus museum's collection.
Victims of war
The war in Syria began 15 March 2011. Now, ca. 9 April, the conflict has lasted longer than the Second World War in Norway. One is led to reflection on such a day.
United Nations figures indicate that over 250,000 civilians have been killed, 130,000 are missing, 7.6 million live as internal refugees, and 4.6 million are refugees in other countries. The world has not seen anything similar since Hitler died. What will the history books say about us in 70 years?
The picture shows a small girl with large eyes and a bandage around her head. The victims are so often children, defenseless in the adults' war. Cecil Beaton was a man of many talents, a well-known photographer and costume and stage designer. His work often involved the beautiful, and this picture of poor Eileen Dunne combines beauty and horror.
The three-year-old is one of the victims of the bombing attacks on London. The picture called for greater American interest and involvement in a war which up to that point had seemed far away.